Record number of Scots join Britain's wealthiest on The Sunday Times Rich List

SCOTLAND'S richest people got richer over the last year, with a record number of billionaires.

SCOTLAND'S richest people got richer over the last year, with a record number of billionaires.

There are more Scots among Britain's wealthiest people than ever before, with 74 joining the ranks in the 2012 list, compared to 70 the previous year.

The number of Scottish billionaires has grown from two to five, with Mahdi al-Tajir, head of the Highland Spring mineral water firm named as Scotland's richest person, worth £1.6 billion.

He is joined by the Grant and Gordon whisky family, worth £1.4 billion, Alastair Salveson, and his family, who have a £1.19 billion share of Aggreko, the Glasgow plant hire firm, oil tycoon Sir Ian Wood, worth £1.2 billion, and businessman Jim McColl, worth £1 billion.

The figures were released in the annual Rich List from The Sunday Times.

The entry point for Scots into the list has risen from £47 million to £52 million, with new entries including lottery winners Colin and Chris Weir and internet tycoon Pete Cashmore, who founded the Mashable blog.

Overall, Britain's wealthiest people have a combined fortune of £414 billion, with 77 billionaires on the list.